Sakio Bika scored an eighth-round TKO against Jaidon Codrington to win The Contender's third-season crown during Tuesday night's live finale broadcast of the ESPN reality competition series.
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"I want to say thank you to The Contender for giving me this big opportunity," said Bika after hoisting The Contender 3 belt, which was presented to him by show host Sugar Ray Leonard.
Bika defeated Codrington -- a 23-year-old from New York, NY who had an 18-1 record that included 14 KOs -- at the 2:18 mark of the bout's eighth-round after the referee stopped the fight with Bika pummeling Codrington against the ropes in one of the ring's corners.
"We all know Sakio Bika's a warrior," said Codrington after the fight. "He showed why everybody knew he was one of the toughest competitors in this tournament. I'm proud to be in there and do what I did against a great opponent like Sakio."
Prior to The Contender 3 title bout, Sam Soliman, a 33-year-old from Melbourne, Australia who had a 35-10 record with 13 KOs, defeated Wayne Johnson, a 29-year-old from Lyndhurst NJ who had a 17-3 record with 9 KOs, via the judges scoring to claim third place in show's consolation bout.
In additional The Contender 3 bouts on the finale card, 24-year-old Portland, OR-native David Banks defeated Donny McCrary, a 24-year-old from St. Joseph, MO; and Brian Vera, a 26-year-old from Austin, TX, defeated Max Alexander, a 26-year-old from Camden, NJ.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
